5 Ways to Stay Motivated When the Boss is You

Over the last two weeks, I can recall two different accounts of how two different people reacted to what I do for a living. One reacted positively, one reacted negatively. The one who reacted negatively gave me a reality check. That was the first time anyone had given me a strange look, as if they wanted to say, “Okay, that’ll never work.” Thankfully, they didn’t speak anything against my career, but that didn’t change the fact that their expression said it all.

I officially know what it feels like to feel like the crazy person, the one that’s sticking her neck out there to accomplish something few are willing to try and accomplish.

And I don’t really care.

I know that I’m taking a risk and that it would be easier to just get a 9 to 5 job, collect a paycheck, and call it a day. I know that. And I think that, because I know it’s crazy, that’s why people will always look at me and wonder why.

I’m supposed to be the rational one, the one that does the logical thing.

I went to school for personal finance and I should know better than most how my decision is affecting our personal finances.

I know. I get it.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore my gut that tells me that I have to give this a shot.

But in order for me to stay motivated in a world that can be pretty dang unmotivating, I’ve got a few tricks and tools that I use to keep my eyes on the prize. Without these, I’d have no reason to continue to pursue what many feel is impossible.

Here are five ways to stay motivated when you’re running your own business:

1) Read articles, magazines, and books that are specific to your industry niche.

No matter what your wellness practice looks like, there is a niche market filled with articles, magazines, and books for you to read and learn more about your profession. With modern technology, you can upload magazines to your tablets – which means you’ll have easier access to your subscriptions so that you can read them anywhere and everywhere.

For me, reading spiritual publications and blogs serve as great creativity joggers for new blog posts.

2) Connect with others who are successful in their businesses

A great way to connect with others who are in the same wellness niche as you is to join a local support group. You should also use Facebook and Instagram to connect online with other wellness businesses owners. Connecting via these social media channels lets you fill your newsfeed with positive and motivating content that can help boost your confidence to continue building your own business.

But be careful. The goal is to connect with those that are going to motivate you, not tear you down. If someone’s feed or group ends up discouraging you instead (because it makes you think about all the things you “should” be doing in your business that you aren’t yet), unfollow them. You can always follow them again later when you’re business (and confidence) have reached a higher level.

3) Learn from others that are doing what you’re doing.

Take your social media connections a step further by connecting with others that are doing exactly what you’re doing. This type of connecting is very important when you’re calling all the shots because it allows you the chance to learn from the mistakes of others while giving you a type of mentor to follow. Continue to stay connected to those that are in your line of work so that you always have someone there that can motivate you when you’re feeling down. For me, that means connecting with inspirational bloggers and life coaches.

4) Remind yourself why you started your business and what you hope to achieve by doing it.

We all have different reasons for starting a business. Some of us just want to make a little extra income to supplement the income we make in our 9 to 5 job, while others hate their 9 to 5 job and want to build a business that will one day replace (or even surpass) their full-time income. Whatever your reason, reminding yourself regularly as to why you want your wellness business to be a success will be the best motivator out there.

For me, I want my business to ultimately replace my husband’s full-time income so that he can retire and never work another day of physical labor ever again.

Notice how specific my why is? If you’re why isn’t specific enough, then you need to rewrite your why. Unless you have a clear vision for where you want your business to take you, you’ll have a hard time staying motivated and focused enough to do the things that need to be done to make your wellness business a success.

Write it down on a sticky note and post it on the bathroom mirror if you have to. While my why isn’t on my mirror, I used to have a note on it that read,

“Nothing worth having in life comes easy.”

That quote motivated me and reminded me why I’m making sacrifices and doing what I’m doing. It pushed me on the days when I felt like my blog was a waste of time. Blogging, of all businesses, is one that takes patience and time to build momentum and an audience. It doesn’t come easy. That note reminded me of that.

5) Read books from business leaders.

Every entrepreneur must-read books from leaders and successful business people. I emphasis must because they have so much knowledge and insight into the mindset you need to have in order to be a success that it would be foolish to ignore their work.

Reading helps you see things from a different perspective and it opens up your mind to new ideas and theories. For me, some of the best motivations often come from these books. I read with a highlighter in hand so that I can mark the best words of wisdom to review later. I sometimes take notes and complete exercises if the book has them. Reading on a daily basis is a habit that I encourage everyone who owns their own business to do.

Because the ones who succeed read.

Oh, if your looking for something good to read, I recently finished reading “Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success” by Denise Duffield-Thomas. She’s a money mind-set coach who has an amazingly inspiring story that I think you’ll find extremely motivating.

I’m confident that by following these 5 tips

Read books specific to your wellness niche

Connect with other successful wellness business owners

Learn from others doing what you do

Remind yourself why you started your business

Read books from business leaders

you’ll be armed with more than enough motivational fuel to help you keep your spirits up while you actively work at growing your wellness practice.

Do you have a few motivational tips that you’d wish to share with other wellness practitioners?

Leave a comment below and share your experiences. We’d love to hear and learn from you!

May I just say what a comfort to discover somebody that
really understands what they are discussing on the internet.
You actually realize how to bring a problem to
light and make it important. More and more people ought to look at this and understand this side of your story.

I was surprised you are not more popular given that you certainly possess the gift.

Deadlines motivate me. And the unexpected. The second being that life does not schedule sickness or deaths of family and friends. So I try to stay ahead so as not to struggle when the unexpected happens.